.  I still remember Marcello Mastroianni talking about the "classics":  Mandrake and the others.  I'm sure it had little to do with Bob's original story which I've misplaced and can't check right this second, but who cares:  I had Sheckley cachet!

Up until the last, folks were optioning his stories for the typical pittance accorded science fiction short stories written decades ago.  Nobody, however, could get money to make them into real movies, but we both had high hopes and I wanted to help.

Indeed, I'd recently gotten it back into my head that I wanted to do at least one more dramatic film before I shuffle away to the next world.  So Bob and I were in the process of working that all out.  I wanted, and still want, to shoot a film that I can do in Buffalo, New York on a zero dollar budget with local talent and locations.  Bob was excited about it.  We talked about it until he could talk about it no longer.

The point is that his hope of having a new movie made from one of his stories, like his dream of moving to Mexico and his love of enchiladas with searing hot sauce never cooled off.  It was contagious, even to a soporific soul like me.  Contagious to a fault.